Drier for sensitized plates.



LEO moon, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssreNon or ONE-FIFTH 'ro s. L. HAnWoon, ONE- FIFTH 'ro raw. ALBnn'rsoN, ONE-FIFTH ro J. H. eILsoN, AND ONE-FIFTH 'ro NELSON m. WHIPPLE, ALII or CHICAGO, ILLINOrs. I

RIER FOR SENSITIZED PLATES.

assenso.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, 15, 1913,

Application iled March 19, 1914. Serial No. 825,816.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, LEO MoCUn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements inA Driers for Sensitized Plates, of which the following is a specification. ,Y

My present invention relates to driers and more particularly/.to driers constructed for use in providing sheets of glass, metal or other suitable material with a sensitized film surface. `In devices of this kind it is particularly desirable that' the film forming material after being placed upon` the plate be dried uniformly and that the film be distributed at an even depth over the entire surface covered by the film.

Itis a principal object of my invention to provide a drier which will accomplish these results and at the same time dry the film rapidly.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of the character described of simple and economic construction which may be readily manipulated without the need of skilled operators.

In devices .of this character constructed prior to my invention it has been necessary to accurately -gage the time that the film remains in the oven andto take it out at the end of a predetermined interval. It is a further purpose of my invention to construct an oven where the film may be left in an indefinite period without damage or danger of deterioration.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, illustrating ferred embodiment thereof.

0n the drawing Figure l is a top plan view of an oven or drier embodying my invention and Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The embodiment of my invention shown a preon the drawing, consists, primarily of a casing'3, a plate support generally designated at 4, a plurality of burners 5 and means 6 for actuating the plate support.

The casing conslsts in thepresent instance ofa box-like sheet metal container 7 mounted upon suitable supports 7 and open at its top and having an aperture 8 disposed 'through the central point of its bottom. Within the bottom of the casing a layer 9 of sand or other suitable heat retaining material is placed. The plate support 4 is carried upon the upper end 11 ofva vertically ,.disposed shaft 12 which is driven from the' motor as will be later understood. The

shaft 12 has a bearing at 8 in the bottom of the casing and a second bearing at 13 beneath the burners 5. In order that the sand V9 may not sift through the aperture 8 in the bottom of the casing a sleeve or collar 14 is provided about the shaft to prevent contact with the sand and to keep the sand from the aperture 8. The plate support consists in the vpresent instance of a plurality of radially extending arms 15 disposed horizontally from the top ofthe shaft 9 to which they are secured and with which they rotate. The arms 15 are preferably constructed of angle irons and are .arrangedl so that one langel of each is horizontal. Through the flange 16 are disposed a number of set screws 17 having relatively sharp points upon which the plate may rest. These set screws are adjustable vertically to maintain the plate in horizontal position and for another purpose which will be later described. The other flange 18 of each ofthese angle irons serves as a reinforce to prevent the warping of the horizontal liange under heat.

The burners 5 are mounted beneath the bottom of the casing 3 and may have any preferred construction or arrangement. prefer, however, to inclose them in a sheet metal box-like oven 19 closed at its bottom by a wall 21 and having a plurality of ventilating apertures 22 to permit the necessary combustion.

The top of the casin 3 is open to the atmosphere and mounte above it upon suitable posts or other supports 23 is a ventilating screen preferably of cheese-cloth 24: carwhich for this purpose if geared to the shaft 12 in the present instance by a pair'of beveled gears 26, 27, the gear 26 fastened upon the shaft being materially larger than the gear 27 to impart a rotation to the shaft slower than that of the motor armature.

The operation and use of the drieris substantially as follows :-The plate28 having received its coating is placed upon the pointed ends of the set screws in the support, either while the support is rotating or before the motor is started. The rotation of the support causes the heated air in the drier to pass over the wet film on the plate and to rise above the plate and pass out through the screen 24. The rotation ofthe plate gives this air an upward spiral movement which experience has proven to be of paricular advantage in drying plates of this kin The cloth 24 serves also to prevent any dustdsettling upon the plate while it is being drie lin order that the heat may be distributed evenly over the bottom of the casing I secure to its under face a sheet of asbestos or other suitable material 29.

' It will be manifest that as the amount o heat supplied within the casing may be' accurately gaged, and as the rate of movement of the plate support may be readily determined the regulation of this heat may be easily accomplished to prevent damage to the plate 'even Vshould the plate be left in thedrier an indefinite time, the circulation of the heated air in the manner describedl being able to dry the plate at`a relatively low temperature.

While only a single plate is shown in position on the drier it will be apparent that a number of plates of smaller size may bev dried in the drier simultaneously. If the drier be constructed with exceedinglylong arms in order to accommodate a large num.

ber of plates the setscrews atthe ends of the arms may be turned to slightly elevate the points of these set screws above those located more nearly .the center of rotation to,prevent.the accumulation of the film adjacent the outenedge of the plate.

It is thought that the invention and many of its advantages will be apparent from the foregoing without further description and it will be obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing v from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the form herein disclosed being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

' 3. A drier for sensltizedplates compris-l ing a chamber, a rotatable element provided with means for adjusting'the plates in accurate horizontal position, and means for suppling heat to sa1d chamber.

4. A drier for sensitized plates comprising a chamber receiving heat at its bottom and having an open top, a foraminous sheet disposed above said open top, and means for supporting a plate within said' chamber.

5. A drier for: sensitized plates comprising a heating chamber in which the plates may be dried, heating means below said chamber, and means on the bottom of said chamber for receiving, storing and evenly distributing the heat of said means.

6. A drier for sensitized plates comp1is of sand on the bottom of the chamber to evenly distribute said heat to said plates.

8. A drier for sensitized plates comprising an open top chamber in which 4the plates may be dried, heating means therebelow, and a layer of sand between said chamber and said heating means for evenly distributing and projecting vertically upward the heat. 9. A drier for sensitized plates comprising an open top chamber in which the plates `may be dried, heating means therebelow, a

layer of sand between said chamber and said heating means for evenly distributing and projecting vertically upward the heat and means moving the plates over said san 10. A drier for sensitized plates comprising a heating chamber, and a spider having horizontally dis osed arms for supporting said plates in said chamber.

11. A drier for sensitized plates comprising a heating chamber, and a spider having horizontally disposed arms for supporting said plates in said chamber, said arms having means for accurately` adjusting the plates thereon.

12. A drier for sensitized plates comprism2539190 f y.

inge heating ehamber, and a spider having horizontally dlsposed arms for supporting said plates in said chamber, said arms having vertically movable screw supports for supporting said plantes.

13. In n drier for sensitized plates comprising ai heating chamber, and u member providing u horizontally disposed surface for supporting plates during drying, individual portions of said surface being inde- 0 pendently adjustable.

vLEO MCCUE. Witnesses 4 NELSON M. VHIPPLE, J. C. CARPENTER. 

